De wegen van het hart

by Catherine Cookson, Annet Mons (Translator)

Joseph Rooney Smith is een eenvoudige, verlegen man die zijn brood verdient op de vuilniswagen. Hij heeft een duidelijk doel: een warm, comfortabel thuis. Maar zijn leven delen met een vrouw, dat durft hij niet aan. Diep in zijn hart is hij een romanticus, maar hij sterft nog liever dan dat te tonen. De leuke vrouwen die in hem geïnteresseerd zijn, en dat zijn er genoeg, ontwijkt hij zo veel hij kan. Toch komt er op een dag verandering in Rooneys vrijgezellenbestaan als hij Nellie ontmoet. Zij lijkt net zo verlegen en teruggetrokken als hijzelf. Maar wanneer ze, geheel in tegenspraak met haar karakter, haar hart bij hem uitstort, brengt ze de zachtaardige Rooney in verwarring en maakt ze gevoelens bij hem los waarvan hij niet wist dat hij ze had.

Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Romance

272 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1957

About the author

Catherine Cookson was born in Tyne Dock, the illegitimate daughter of a poverty-stricken woman, Kate, who Catherine believed was her older sister. Catherine began work in service but eventually moved south to Hastings, where she met and married Tom Cookson, a local grammar-school master.

Although she was originally acclaimed as a regional writer - her novel The Round Tower won the Winifred Holtby Award for the best regional novel of 1968 - her readership quickly spread throughout the world, and her many best-selling novels established her as one of the most popular contemporary woman novelist. She received an OBE in 1985, was created a Dame of the British Empire in 1993, and was appointed an Honorary Fellow of St Hilda's College, Oxford, in 1997.

For many years she lived near Newcastle upon Tyne.

Reviews

[Shirley Revill]

I never realised just how many books by Catherine Cookson I had the pleasure of reading till I started to make a list. Many hours of pleasure spent reading her stories over the years. I can't remember ever being disappointed by any of the books I have read and this book was no exception.

[Pol]

enjoyed all of catherine cookson,s book 1st author i picked up when got in to reading books when in hospital when i was younger, you can 4 get every thing when reading good books.

[Vivian Donaldson]

Catherine Cookson is a very intelligent and sensitive author who came from a very humble background. She writes about life in the North of England during the early 1900s. This is history, although not the best part of history. It also shows what one can do when you have determination. In this book, Catherine makes Rooney a typical bloke of this time period. He does not like change and is very upset when his routine is broken. Even though by breaking it, things are opened up to him that he would never have imagined.

[Sharon]

love this book. bought from a resale book store in the 1980's, read it so many times the book fell apart ( i would fall asleep reading, the book suffered because I really destroyed it while sleeping). Bought a 2nd copy from the same resale shop maybe in the 1990's. Still reading it probably twice a year. A sweet love story of surviving people trying to make life miserable.

[Shirley Dawson]

Another good read from Catherine Cookson. I find it amazing how she could invent a story which is virtually completely set within the confines of one house. Of course there are a few scenes set elsewhere but to me, this just shows how her brilliant mind could create a story in any setting - and it works!

The story is a little off her usual track but Catherine has made Rooney into quite an endearing character and you can't help being drawn towards him - I really enjoyed reading it.

[Susan]

1950's England about a dustbin man falling in love

[Lynn Smith]

Synopsis:
Rooney Smith, an unmarried 35 year-old dustman, is a man too cute to be caught. His job, and his two treasured roomfuls of furniture, seemed to be enough to keep him happy. But, when he moved to new lodgings with Ma Howlett, life became more complicated.

A really enjoyable read of Rooney the dustman set in the 1950s. 4.5*

[Bettykelly]

Later when read

[Sue]

I really enjoyed this book, not at all what I expected.